Mikhail Ignatiev (cyclist)

Mikhail Ignatiev
	File:Mikhail Ignatyev IMG 1233 (cropped).JPG Ignatiev at the 2011 Tour de Romandie
Personal information
Full name	Mikhail Borisovich Ignatiev
Nickname	Gambero
Born	7 May 1985 (age 39); Leningrad, Soviet Union
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	67 kg (148 lb)
Team information
Current team	Team Katusha–Alpecin
Discipline	Road; Track
Role	Rider
Rider type	Time trialist; Classic cycle races
Amateur team(s)
2004–2005	Lokomotiv
Professional team(s)
2006–2008	Tinkoff Restaurants
2009–	Team Katusha
Major wins
	Olympic Points Race (2004)
	Representing Russia
Road bicycle racing
World Championships
Track cycling
Olympic Games
World Championships
	Infobox last updated on; 2 January 2014

Mikhail Borisovich Ignatiev (Russian: Михаил Борисович Игнатьев) (born 7 May 1985) is a Russian professional track and road bicycle racer. He currently rides for UCI ProTour team Team Katusha–Alpecin,^[1] as well as participating in various track events. He is known as a time trial specialist, and also has a reputation for making the breakaway in road races and trying, often with success, to solo to victory.

Career

In 2004 Ignatiev achieved his biggest success to date, winning a gold medal in the points race at the Athens Olympics. On the road, Ignatiev came to prominence with his ability in the individual time trial. In 2002 and 2003, he was the World Junior Champion, while in 2005 he became the World Under 23 Champion.

Ignatiev signed his first professional contract in 2006, when he started riding for the Tinkoff Restaurants cycling team. This team competed mainly in Russia, but Ignatiev made a big impact during a series of Spanish races in the middle part of the season.

When Tinkoff Credit Systems was established from Tinkoff Restaurants in 2007, Ignatiev moved to Marina di Massa, Italy. Early in the 2007 cycling season, Ignatiev made a name for himself by winning a stage of the Tour Méditerranéen and the Trofeo Laigueglia with successful late attacks. He continued his form throughout the season and won two time trials, the Prologue in Ster Elektrotoer, Stage 4 of the Regio-Tour and the first stage of Vuelta a Burgos.

In the 2009 cycling season he moved to UCI World Tour Team Katusha, a newly formed Russian cycling team, sponsored by Itera, Gazprom and Rostechnologies. In his first season he achieved some greatest results having taken two podiums at 2009 Tour de France.